How to Make Good Decisions, Even When You’re Short on Time ??

In today’s fast-paced world, making decisions quickly is essential. Columbia Business School professor Rita Gunther McGrath highlights the need for "fast and roughly right decision-making" in her Harvard Business Review article. But the real challenge is how to achieve that balance. How can you make smart choices when time is tight?

The Know-Think-Do framework provides a simple, flexible method for making effective decisions under pressure. Here’s how you can apply it to make fast, yet informed decisions—whether you're leading a startup or managing a large corporation. ??

1. Know the Ultimate Strategic Objective ??

The biggest obstacle to fast decisions is trying to meet too many objectives at once. This results in criteria overload. You don’t need to please everyone or solve every problem with one decision. Instead, focus on answering these questions:

• Which one or two objectives will have the most significant positive impact?
• Which stakeholder is the most important to satisfy in this situation?

By narrowing your focus, you'll avoid getting bogged down in endless deliberation. ????

2. Think Rationally About How Your Options Align with the Objective ??

Once you’ve identified your top objectives, it’s time to think rationally about how your options fit with those goals. A simple but powerful tool here is the "consult an anti-you" method. ??

Why? Because explaining your decision to someone with a different perspective can help broaden your frame of reference. Often, simply articulating your thoughts to another person will give you new insights. And if that person offers feedback, you'll get a bonus perspective that can help avoid common judgment errors.

3. Do Something with That Knowledge and Move Forward ??♂?

After clarifying your objectives and gaining insights from an "anti-you," it's time to make the call. Here's the hard truth: there are no perfect decisions. Decision-making is always about dealing with an uncertain future. So rather than endlessly searching for the "right" option, choose one and move forward.

Remember, the purpose of a decision is not to find perfection—it’s to get you to the next step. ?? The quicker you act, the sooner you'll gather new information for future decisions.

Why the Know-Think-Do Framework Works for Everyone ????

One of the biggest strengths of this framework is its scalability. It works just as well for small teams in a startup as it does for division heads in a large corporation. A decision that takes 20 minutes in a sales team might take two weeks in a corporate compliance team—but the process is the same.

By using a shared approach to decision-making, everyone in the organization speaks the same language, which leads to more consistent and faster outcomes. ??

Final Thoughts ??

Making quick, smart decisions is possible—even under tight time constraints. The Know-Think-Do framework offers a clear path to cutting through the noise, focusing on what matters, and moving forward with confidence. Stop overthinking, trust your gut after thoughtful consideration, and take action. The quicker you decide, the quicker you’ll be able to adapt to whatever comes next! ???